Georgia sports betting has one more day before it dies for another year.
A Georgia House committee on Wednesday passed forward a constitutional amendment and enacting legislation that would legalize Georgia sports betting. If the amendment passes both chambers by two-thirds votes, it would go to a public vote in November 2026.
The House will likely vote on the legislation Thursday, the last day a bill can pass over chambers. The Senate earlier voted against gambling bills, but indications were to let the House lead on the issue. The legislative session runs until April 4.
Constitutional amendment bill
House Resolution 450 would put the constitutional amendment to allow online sports betting on the 2026 ballot. A proposed amendment to add online casino gambling to the question failed.
“Let the voters decide,” Rep. Marcus Wiedower said during a Tuesday committee meeting. “Let the voters decide. If they don’t want it, they don’t want it.”
The resolution does not have any enacting pieces to it. That comes in House Bill 686.
Georgia sports betting bill
Wiedower’s enacting legislation would allow for up to 16 online sports betting licenses. Some of the licenses are tied to professional sports organizations in that state, while others are untethered.
A sportsbook operator cannot partner with more than one licensee. The committee adopted an amendment to raise the tax rate to 24% from 20%.
Sports betting accounts would require two-factor authentication. The legislation prohibits college prop bets.
Same bill as last year
Wiedower said the legislation is largely the same as the packages rolled out in the previous two sessions.
Last year, a Senate package stalled out in the House. The need for a constitutional amendment, and its requirement for two-thirds votes, and sticky partisan politics have doomed previous Peach State efforts.
If the issue does go to the public, however, a recent University of Georgia poll found 63% of voters want legal sportsbooks. That comes as GeoComply found a nearly 76% year-over-year growth in active sports betting accounts during Super Bowl weekend.
